'Tis a sad day in the college football world. UGA VI will be buried today at the University of Georgia's Sanford Stadium alongside his 5 predecessors. The big English bulldog died Friday of heart failure. (Perhaps it was losing the College World Series that did it?) He would've turned 10 years old on July 22. So many people were expected to turn out for the funeral that UGA's owner put a public plea that the service is "private", family only.
I was actually on the field standing next to this great "dawg" when he became UGA VI before the 1999 Georgia v. South Carolina game. He was a big boy too... a full 20 lbs. larger than his father... UGA V. I took the photo below during the ceremony when UGA V retired and UGA VI took over mascot duties. He was the latest in a line that dates back to 1956.
Georgia takes their mascots seriously. "UGA's" travel to away games on Delta airlines. On the sidelines they have an air conditioned doghouse with bags of ice just outside to stay cool. UGA V was named "No. 1 Mascot" in America by Sports Illustrated (see picture below) and featured in the book and movie "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil."
UGA VI was the winningest Georgia football mascot in school history. The team was 87-27 during his tenure. He will be missed by the entire Bulldog Nation.
UGA VI: R.I.P. You were a darn good dawg!
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Duncan37
Jun 30, 2008 | 5:24 AM |
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Tom_Johnson
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Tom Johnson co-anchors FOX 35's morning newscast from 5-9 a.m. He is a veteran newsman with 18 years of experience. He came to FOX 35 in September 2003 after nearly two years at WOIO-TV where he anchored both news and sports and also hit the streets as a news reporter. Before that Tom anchored the morning news at WSPA-TV. Tom also worked at WIS-TV, WJCL-TV and began his career at WSAV-TV in 1990. Before that first job in Savannah, Tom attended the Henry W. Grady College of Journalism at the University of Georgia from 1986-1990. Tom has covered a lot of major stories in his career. They include: Central Florida's 2004 "Summer of Storms," the trial of Susan Smith in Union, SC; the 1994 crash of a US Air jet in Charlotte, NC and the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. He was actually in Centennial Olympic Park when the bomb blast happened and eventually covered the search for accused bomber Eric Rudolph in the mountains of North Carolina. Tom has been honored for his work with 4 Emmy awards, 10 Emmy nominations and nearly a dozen other awards. Most recently he won a 2006 Suncoast Emmy Award for Education reporting at FOX 35. In 2005 he won a prestigious Edward R. Murrow award for feature reporting at FOX 35. In his spare time, he loves to read and is an AVID football fan. He closely follows the Georgia Bulldogs and the Washington Redskins. Tom is married with two young sons. He and his family are overjoyed to be in Central Florida.
Member Since: 7/20/2006
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